Healing Hearts
by Bare Eyes
Summary: Sasuke receives thirty hours of community service for punishment after stupidly following Naruto's lead, and when he, once again, follows his friend's lead, he finds himself volunteering at a stable, and possibly falling in love. Possibly.  sasusaku/AU
1. i

**disclaimer**: yeah, okay, I wish.

healing hearts  
I

As Sasuke stepped outside onto a concrete sidewalk, cold hair nipping at his bare face, he felt his heart sink lower than it had fallen in the past few days. His father's hand was grasping his shoulder tightly, as if by holding him physically, he would never, ever, disobey again.

Of course, what Sasuke had done wasn't quite disobeying. It wasn't as if it was his idea, anyway – Naruto had planned it. It was all him.

That dobe.

Then again, Sasuke had complied, and now he was stuck leaving a courthouse, with thirty hours of community service on his shoulders. And nine months of probation. Probably less, because he could get off earlier if he cooperated, and Sasuke always cooperated –

"Where's the car parked, honey?" His mother's sweet, sweet voice filled the winter air, and Sasuke turned slightly to see her hair blowing lightly in the wind. His father grunted in response, and led the way through the parking lot, dragging Sasuke along with him.

The teenager sighed, lengthening his strides to keep up with his father's quick, purposeful steps. He heard his mother's heels clicking along behind the two of them, accompanied by muttered complaints about the "damned shoes" she was wearing.

They reached their sleek, black, shiny choice of transportation, and his father unlocked the car with a swift click of a button. Sasuke opened the back door, sliding onto the supple leather. He shut the door behind him, and as Uchiha Fugaku began to pull the car out of the parking spot, clicked his seatbelt into place.

They pulled out of the parking lot smoothly, and Sasuke's gaze drifted out the window. He sighed, wishing he had brought a book with him – the courthouse was at least an hour from his own house. He watched the various stores as they passed, examining people in the street, and letting his mind wander.

"_So, what was it that led you and Uzamaki-san to do what you did?"_

_A sigh escaped his lips. "Boredom, I guess."_

_The probation officer cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah?" She smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She scribbled something onto a note pad in front of her. "And where did you get the spray paint from, again?"_

"_There were some half-empty ones lying on the ground around the railroad house. Naruto picked one up to examine one, and one thing led to another…" The probation officer stared at him shamelessly. "How did you find the railroad house?"_

"_We were walking on a bike pa – "_

"_Oh, were you?"_

"_Yeah. We wer – "_

"Sasuke?"

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother's high voice, and he looked sharply to the front passenger seat. "Hn."

"Your father and I were talking about getting a bite to eat. Shall we?" Her onyx eyes glanced into his own through the rearview mirror, and when he nodded, she smiled kindly. "Okay, then."

Dinner was uneventful. They stopped at a quaint diner in the heart of town, and not much conversation occurred. Sasuke spent the meal avoiding his father's eyes. The older man didn't say anything; he had expressed his disappointment in Sasuke the night of the incident. However, his anger with his son had not yet dissipated, and was still very clear in his trademark Uchiha eyes.

The drive home from the diner was quiet, as well. Sasuke lapsed into his own thoughts the second the car pulled into the road, and remained in his own world 'til the road smoothed out and he knew they had pulled into their perfect driveway. His large house loomed ahead of him as he stepped out of his father's car.

_Home sweet home_, he thought dryly.

-xxx-

Short, I know. But I needed a way to start it, and then I needed a place to end the chapter, and I couldn't figure out where and so I was like "DFLKGJFLG" and stopped it here.

Not sure about the title. I just WANT TO GET THIS UPLOADED.

so like please review. and favorite. and like get alerts. and love me, baby, love me hard.


	2. ii

**disclaimed**

healing hearts  
II

Sakura's coat was drawn tight around her body as she stepped into her pristine school. When a blast of heat hit her, she immediately loosened her hold on the bright-colored jacket. The plain socks of her uniform, which she had previously been thankful for, were now itchy, and she resisted the urge to lean down and scratch her legs.

"Hey, Billboard Brow!" She whipped her pink head around to see Ino waving at her. The taller girl grinned as she reached Sakura. "Hey, Ino-pig," Sakura grinned back. "Hey, did you hear what Naruto pulled? Thirty hours of community service…he really did it this time," Ino snorted, twirling a lock of platinum blonde hair around her finger. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Who hasn't heard all about that?"

"Well, you're so, like, busy with your little horse stuff all the time that you tend to forget about, you know, real life. A lot, I mean. It happens a lot."

"Hey, Ino, you ride, too!" Sakura snapped indignantly. She was sensitive to talk about her horse-centric life, having suffered much teasing for being obsessed with the large animals when she was younger. That, and for her forehead. "Yes, Sakura, but I don't spend my life at the stables," Ino reminded her lithe friend. "Whatever," Sakura mumbled.

By this time, they had reached their homeroom, and Sakura was glad to escape the conversation by quickly sitting next to Rock Lee, who was putting his soul into telling his friend, Neji, of his trip to the supermarket the previous day. Ino slid into the seat behind Sakura, and took to examining her nails. The ball rang, but no one in the classroom seemed to notice – they all knew their teacher too well; the man would be twenty minutes late to class, as usual.

A few people strolled in late, including Naruto and his quiet friend, Sasuke. Naruto grinned and waved wildly at Sakura, and at Ino's request, dragged Sasuke up to where the two girls were sitting. "So, Naruto, you little criminal," Ino drawled, her eyebrows raised flirtatiously. Naruto cringed. "Other people have done it, so why was I punished for it," he grumbled. "Because they weren't stupid enough to get caught, baka," Sakura chimed in.

Ino sighed, leaning her head on her hand. "Of course, I'm surprised Sasuke-kun was caught, as well…I figured it would happen to you, but he's too smart to stick around at the scene of the crime! At least, that's what his grades seem to say." At the mention of his name, Sasuke made a noncommittal noise before returning to…whatever it was the raven-haired boy had been doing. "I'm not stupid!" Naruto growled indignantly. "Whatever you say, Naruto…"

"I'm not!"

As Sakura and Naruto lapsed into a heated, _sophisticated_ argument ("Are, too!" "Am not!") concerning the blonde's intelligence, Ino settled with watching them amusedly. "Oh!" She interrupted them, "We're still going to study for that bio test at my house this afternoon, right, forehead girl?" Sakura paused. "Um, I don't think so…stable today," she replied meekly.

Ino's eyes narrowed. "What is with you and that place!" She snapped hotly. "You have lessons once a week, you don't have to spend your life there! Damn it, Sakura, you don't even get _paid_!" Sasuke perked up at this. He continued staring into space, but adjusted his attention to the two girls' conversation. "It's volunteer work, Ino. It looks good on applications. To…places," she finished lamely, and looked away, a pout settling on her face. Naruto blinked.

"Wait…"

The two girls looked at him.

"Volunteer work?"

Sakura blanched.

"Uh…yeah," she muttered.

"So, like," he started, his blue eyes sparkling with interest, "you do what? Shovel horse shit?" Sakura cringed. "Sort of…I mean, it's part of the job description, but I don't specifically do it…"

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "So what is it you do?"

Sakura mumbled something. Confused, Naruto spoke again. "Couldn't hear you…say that again?"

Ino rolled her eyes and resisted pointing out the girl's clear discomfort. "I exercise the horses…and, um, groom them…'ndstuff."

"Oooh! Sounds like fun!" Naruto gushed. "Hey, Sasuke-teme! Let's volunteer there!"

Sasuke sighed. "Dobe, I thought we were cleaning the highway up."

"Not anymore!"

"Dobe, we already signed up."

"But that's not fun!" Naruto whined. "And stop calling me dobe!"

"Dobe."

Sakura giggled in spite of herself, and the two boys averted their gazes to her. Realizing he had made the pink-haired girl laugh, Naruto grinned, obviously proud of this feat. "So, what do you say, Sakura-chan? Can we? Can we volunteer there?" He continued. Sakura sighed.

"Well…"

A loud squealing quickly interrupted their conversation. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura sighed in relief at the entrance of Karin. She hated her, but Sakura had to admit, the girl had impeccable timing.

Ino cringed. "Ugh, Karin…" The redheaded girl bounded right over to the object of her affections, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tight. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hey, to you, too, Karin."

"Oh. Hi, Naruto. And, um, Ino and Sakura." Ino nodded curtly and Sakura waved weakly in response to their names. "Sasuke-kun, how was your weekend? I heard you got in trouble! Silly Sasuke-chan, you know better!" Sakura twitched at Karin's cooing, and sunk down in her seat. _So much for a peaceful morning…_

-xxx-

As Sakura ducked into the cafeteria, she shot looks over both shoulders, on the lookout for a specific loud-mouthed blonde boy.

Ever since his questioning first period, she had been afraid.

Sakura enjoyed her hobbies. Since she had been little, she had loved horses, and while everyone else thought it was just a phase – girl wanting a pony? Too cliché. – she knew it was forever. However, since she had been little, she had also been teased for multiple things. The first being her large forehead, the second being her obsession with all things horses.

Looking back on it, it was just embarrassing – especially when people said, even lightheartedly, "Wow, you were so obsessed with horses! You only ever talked about them!" Like, exaggeration much? Sakura would flush and change the topic, and she never brought up horses for fear of that discussion

However, her discomfort in talking about her interests went deeper than that. To put it simply, Sakura was afraid. She was outspoken, seemingly very confident, and was "the definition of eccentric," as her mother had once told her. These traits were just enough to cover up Sakura's insecurities about being teased, but were not enough to erase them completely.

Finally sure that the coast was clear, Sakura edged into the cafeteria. Still no sign of the blonde boy. She began to move freely, letting out her breath in a puff of air –

"Sakura-chan!"

Oh, _shit._

-xxx-

To: Haruno Sakura

From: Uzumaki Naruto

14:08

hey sakura wheres the stables again..teme got lost

To: Uzumaki Naruto

From: Haruno Sakura

14:10

Where are you guys now?

To: Haruno Sakura

From: Uzumaki Naruto

14:11

were like at this intersection on hillside or w.e

To: Uzumaki Naruto

From: Haruno Sakura

14:13

Okay, just turn left there and go all the way down, then make a right onto Kibo. Then just follow the scent.

To: Haruno Sakura

From: Uzumaki Naruto

14:14

thx!

-xxx-

Sakura sighed, running her hands through her short pink locks. She couldn't believe Naruto had managed to get any information out of her. She sat atop her dark horse, Kyon, tensely, waiting for the sound of Naruto's voice.

Kyon shifted beneath her, and she sighed. "Sorry, buddy…" She went through the process of putting her hair up, and then threw her helmet on, adjusted it, and urged her horse forward. They circled the spacious ring a few times, before Sakura pressed her heels into Kyon's sides. He immediately picked up a bouncy trot, and she turned him towards the opposite side of the ring, ready to practice serpentines.

She changed direction quickly at the end of the serpentine, and as she did so, Naruto came into sight, followed by a bored-looking Sasuke.

Sakura hated putting her hair in a hairnet, but for once, she was glad – her trademark pink hair was out of view. She took this opportunity to follow Sasuke with her eyes.

She didn't know the boy very well. They had been in the same schools since kindergarten, and were almost always in the same class, but she had never actually interacted with him. He was quiet, very attractive, was Naruto's best friend, and he had a lot of fans, but that was all Sakura really knew about him.

She also knew he had an older brother. Sakura knew a bit more about him – he had tutored her in junior high when she had been having problems with math. For three straight years, she had met with the older boy once a week for an hour and a half, but not once did Itachi bring up his younger brother.

Suddenly, Sasuke turned his head slightly, and alarmed, Sakura pulled Kyon away from where they stood, averting her gaze.

"Anyway," she murmured.

-xxx-

"Hey, so, where do you think Sakura-chan is?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, that girl in the ring sure is a good rider. I wonder if Sakura-chan knows her?"

Sasuke shrugged.

After they had reached the property, they had spent five minutes trying to find the office. Once they had, they spent another ten minutes filling out paperwork and listening to the barn manager and volunteer coordinator discuss basic things – the work they did at the stable, the rules – and finally, they were told to wait outside, where a volunteer would find them and give them a tour.

Sasuke wasn't enjoying himself.

He wasn't much of an animal person. Or a people person, for that matter. However, this community service was necessary. He just wished he knew a little about horses. Although the Uchiha tended to dabble in various things – sports, karate, art, and music – he had yet to show any interest in horses or riding in general.

His thoughts were interrupted by a high, cheerful voice. "Hi, guys! You must be the new volunteers." Sasuke turned to see a younger girl smiling widely at them. She was plain-looking – red hair tied in two thick pigtails, with dark eyes and a flushed face.

"My name is Moegi," she explained. "I volunteer here, too."

_No way,_ Sasuke thought sarcastically, but kept his mouth shut.

"Cool! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm awesome!"

Moegi giggled at the blonde boy's behavior as Sasuke turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Well, I guess it's time for a tour of the facilities," she girl said, and gestured for the boys to follow her. "Ah…looks like Sakura-san is exercising her horse!" Naruto perked up.

"That's Sakura-chan?" He inquired. Moegi nodded. "You know her?"

"Hell yeah, I know her! She's the one who recommended this place to us! SAKURA-CHAN! HEY, SAKU – " Sasuke slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Be quiet," he hissed.

The pink-haired girl noticed their presences though, and turned to look at them curiously. She gave a little half-wave, and turned back to her horse. Not quick enough, though, for Sasuke couldn't help but notice the deep blush on the girl's face.

Before he had time to question this, though, he was dragged off by Moegi. "To the horses!"

-xxx-

a/n: Yeah, I skipped around a lot here. I'm not very good at continuing one scene for very long, but I'm working on it. I also have no idea where I'm going with this. I'll figure it out. Eventually.

...my chapters are slowly getting longer, though! 3

So review, yeah? :)


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